I am 29 years old. I have had anxiety disorder most of my life, and it was usually treated with Ativan. I started having panic attacks about 7 weeks ago, and was also diagnosed with depression. My doctor put me on Ativan for my anxiety, along with zoloft (50 mg per day) for depression. Taking the zoloft in the morning left me zoned out and unable to work. My doctor suggested I switch to taking the dose at night. When I took the dose at night, I had to call the paramedics two nights in a row because I spent both nights lying in bed with my entire body trembling (as if electricity was flowing through it), sweating, and also unable to distinguish if I was dreaming or not. Because I literally thought I was dying the first night, I called my mom (after 6 hours) in desperation, and she told me to call the paramedics. The next day, I called my doctor, and he said it was just my "anxiety"; however, after taking the zoloft the second night and having the same experience, he suggested I take it in the morning.

Into my fourth week of taking zoloft, I began to have periods of what my psychologist calls "disassociation." I would zone out and do things that I couldn't remember. My already short-term memory loss became worse, and because of these periods of "disassociation," I was unable to drive, work, or even take care of my kids. My military husband, who was away, had to return home to take care of me. When my periods of "disassociation" became more frequent, my primary doctor increased my zoloft to 100 mg per day (along with taking the Ativan 3 times a day - 3mg), and my psychologist suggested I see a psychiatrist for fear of me hurting myself or someone else. Into the 6th week, my doctor increased my zoloft to 150 mg per day.

During my last state of disassociation, my husband found me asleep on the floor in our bathroom and I had cut myself. I was bleeding and disoriented. I couldn't remember how I got there. He took me to a psychiatric hospital for an evaluation. They did not admit me, but suggested I see my psychiatrist. Presently, no one knows what's wrong with me. Before taking the zoloft, I only had panic attacks. After being totally fed up, I stopped taking the zoloft; this has been day 2 without it. I have felt fine; no zoning out and no "disassociation." However, I have been eating like a pig for the past 2 days and have had a constant headache which I can't get rid of. I told my husband that I would start back taking the zoloft (50 mg) and call my doctor. I am sure this increased appetite and headache is some sort of withdrawal symptom. Other side effects that I have experienced since taking the zoloft are dizziness and vision problems. Some days I was so dizzy, I was falling down. My doctor called it "vertical vertigo," and said I was probably catching a cold. I plan to talk to a patient advocate about this matter on Monday; it is Friday night.

For anyone who is taking zoloft: THERE ARE SIDE EFFECTS!

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